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Foreword by Ezra F. Vogel, Director of the East Asia Research Center. Introduction. Includes sources, studies of modern Chinese literature, studies and translations of individual authors, and unidentified authors. Some titles shown in Chinese characters. Three appendices. Index.
This Element focuses on Xin Fengxia (1927–1998), a star of the regional xiqu form pingju, and her prominent role in transforming the genre from folk entertainment for the lower class to one of the most notable winners of the xiqu reform after the establishment of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949. The Element's four sections expand from this core concept to include the four stages of her life experience and artistry that shaped her legacy: growing up in China's third largest theatre market Tianjin before 1949, national stardom in Beijing (1949–1957), restricted creativity amidst political upheavals (1957–1975), and as a prominent author after a stroke (1977–1998). Rather than following a biographical approach, these sections zero in on the environment before and after 1949 that made her a prominent pingju reformer and the consequent price of such success.
The Chinese made the world's first bronze chime-bells, which they used to perform ritual music, particularly during the Shang and Zhou dynasties (ca. 1700-221 B.C.). Lothar von Falkenhausen's rich and detailed study reconstructs how the music of these bells—the only Bronze Age instruments that can still be played—may have sounded and how it was conceptualized in theoretical terms. His analysis and discussion of the ritual, political, and technical aspects of this music provide a unique window into ancient Chinese culture. This is the first interdisciplinary perspective on recent archaeological finds that have transformed our understanding of ancient Chinese music. Of great significance to the understanding of Chinese culture in its crucial formative stage, it provides a fresh point of departure for exploring later Asian musical history and offers great possibilities for comparisons with music worldwide.